Tips for Austin-Bergstrom International Airport

Whether you’re traveling to Austin for SXSW, Austin City Limits, or just to eat good food and listen to good music, your travels will likely bring you through Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

As any traveler knows, knowing your way around the airport can really help your sanity when waiting to depart—especially if your flight was delayed or canceled. So, in efforts to make your travels as stress free as possible, we broke down everything you need to know about Austin-Bergstrom.

Departures and Arrivals

With only one terminal, drop-offs and pick-ups at Austin-Bergstrom are fairly simple.

For departures, you’ll head to the upper level in front of the terminal. Blue signs will indicate where your airline of choice has their ticket counter.

If you’re flying Frontier, Allegiant, Virgin America, Delta, or Southwest, you’ll want to be dropped off at the east ticket counters and gates—numbers one through three. For those flying American Airlines, United, British Airways, Alaska, Texas Sky, US, or JetBlue Airways, you’ll want to unload at the west counters and gates—numbers 5 through 10.

Many airlines at this airport also offer curbside check-in.

Security

There are four security checkpoints at Austin-Bergstrom. The first opens at 4 a.m.

TSA Pre and Global Entry are available at this airport.

Food

Austin is definitely a major foodie hub, and the BBQ and Tex-Mex culture starts right at the airport.

You’ll find the majority of your dining options between gates 10 and 13. Here, you’ll find Salt Lick—a go to spot for Austin classics. Wake up with a breakfast taco at The Salt Lick’s Taco Bar by gate 10, or chow down on some brisket at Salt Lick Bar-B-Que by gate 12.

If you’re looking to branch out from the basic Austin diet of breakfast tacos and BBQ, you have a few options. By gate 12, you can visit Maudies for a variety of Tex-Mex dishes, or grab a slice at Mangia Pizza.

If you don’t want to venture that way, there are a few other options near gate 7. You can head to Hoover’s for some chicken and biscuit, grab a snack at Auntie Anne’s, or pick up a sandwich from ThunderCloud Subs, to name a few.

If it’s caffeine that you’re after, head to Ruta Maya at gates 7 and 18, or Austin Java Coffee at gates 10 and 15.

Entertainment

One of the best things about the Austin airport is that it comes to life with live music during the week—which should be no surprise, as Austin is the live music capital of the world. Here’s a full list of the times and places you can enjoy the local talent at Austin-Bergstrom:

Beyond music, there’s a great selection of art all throughout the terminal that you can admire while passing through.

Before screening, you’ll see a variety of Austin-inspired cultural expressions, such as the Big Guitars on the lower level of the terminal decorated by various local artists. Post-security, the airport hosts rotating exhibits for ticketed passengers to enjoy.

If you’re looking to relax, head to Knot Anymore by gate 7 or 13 for a massage before your long flight.

And of course, the most important issue … Wi-Fi. The Austin-Bergstrom airport offers free Wi-Fi for 90 consecutive minutes daily. So, if you plan to be there longer, use wisely! After your 90 minutes expires, you can get a 24-hour pass through Boingo for $7.95.

Transportation

If you’re planning on driving to and from the airport, there are plenty of parking options. Their valet services starts at $18/day. All you have to do is pull up curbside at the upper level of the terminal and request the valet.

The on-site parking garage is the most convenient self-park option, but will cost you $23/day. More affordable options include Lot A, which charges $11/day and is only a short walk from the terminal. Or, if you don’t mind taking a shuttle, Lots B through J cost just $7/day and offer a free shuttle service that runs continually between the terminal and the lot—not to mention it runs on natural gas!

If you’re planning on taking a taxi, note that the minimum fare is $13.10 and that all taxis have a four passenger maximum, excluding children 12-years and under. Services like Uber and Lyft will also be available.

For a full list of ground transportation options, visit Austin-Bergstrom’s website.

We hope you find this breakdown of The Austin-Bergstrom International Airport useful for your trips to or from Texas. Have any other insider tips? Share them in the comments below or on Twitter with @TripIt.

About the Author

Colleen Fogerty is the Social Media & Content Specialist here at TripIt. She caught the travel bug while traveling through Europe as a student ambassador and studying abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Among some of her favorite trips are Thailand and South Africa. With many miles traveled and a passion to explore, Colleen has plenty of stories, tips, and tricks to share with fellow globetrotters!